Hydraulic Generators
I notice that the newest high end Earthroamer has a hydraulic generator on board. I know that Earthroamer likes to talk about their vehicles not having onboard stand-alone generators. So I wonder ...
Forum Discussion
According to an Earthroamer XV-HD video I just watched, the way it utilizes the hydraulic generator is to automatically sense when the battery bank is low, then automatically start up the diesel chassis engine to power the hydraulic generator until the the battery bank is fully charged, at which time the diesel engine is automatically shut down. This appears to be much the same procedure as the way certain Class A motorhomes handle automatic start-up/shut-down of their built-in fossil fuel generators to automatically recharge their battery banks as needed.
Earthroamer engineers seem to be really hung up with not having a conventional stand-alone diesel generator on board. I have been camped next to well engineered Class A motorhomes with their generators running that I could - for all practical purposes - "not hear". I walked up to within 6-8 feet of one in order to try and hear it's built-in generator quietly humming along ... really, really not irritating at all - way quieter than a Honda inverter generator at idle.
So .... ultra-quiet built-in RV fossil fuel powered 120V AC generation IS POSSIBLE. Earthroamer engineers should know that. That being given, they may be using PTO and a hydraulic generator because:
1. A hydraulic generator can be broken up into two very small pieces for better fit in tight places -> pump at the PTO point with the generator unit tucked away some place else.
AND/OR
2. Believe it or not - MAYBE modern fossil fuel large bore chassis engines now emit less smelly fumes into the air than any available fossil fuel powered small generators.
Earthroamer engineers seem to be really hung up with not having a conventional stand-alone diesel generator on board. I have been camped next to well engineered Class A motorhomes with their generators running that I could - for all practical purposes - "not hear". I walked up to within 6-8 feet of one in order to try and hear it's built-in generator quietly humming along ... really, really not irritating at all - way quieter than a Honda inverter generator at idle.
So .... ultra-quiet built-in RV fossil fuel powered 120V AC generation IS POSSIBLE. Earthroamer engineers should know that. That being given, they may be using PTO and a hydraulic generator because:
1. A hydraulic generator can be broken up into two very small pieces for better fit in tight places -> pump at the PTO point with the generator unit tucked away some place else.
AND/OR
2. Believe it or not - MAYBE modern fossil fuel large bore chassis engines now emit less smelly fumes into the air than any available fossil fuel powered small generators.
